Hello Mr Not So Present For Many Years Of My Life
by fanglesspsycho
Summary: This is a book project I had to do for English where you make an extra chapter for the book you read. I read the book Heir Apparent and so I thought I would post the chapter I wrote. Only one chapter, sorry.


Disclaimer - I do not own the characters because that is the work of Vivian Vande Velde

Author's Notes - This is a project I had to do for my English homework so I just thought I would post it on fanfiction for all you lovely people to enjoy. That is if you do enjoy it.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Hello Mr. Not So Present For Many Years Of My Life 

I sat there in anticipation with Nigel's comforting hand on my back. I could vaguely feel his thigh next to mine as I waited for my father to arrive.

Five seconds must have passed, but it seemed like eternity. Did I really want to see him? After all, he was the one who had gotten me into this mess. Yes, I did want to see him, but why such a wait?

And then I heard his feet padding across the floor. They had made the same sound when I was young…before the divorce I reminded myself. Then, there he was standing in the doorway. Our eyes met and I held them there for a while until I pulled myself back to reality.

He was tall, just the way I remembered him. He was starting to gray a little and he looked weary. His hair was trimmed short leaving only an inch left. He had a long nose. His eyes were grey and held…worry? No, he wasn't worried…

_Welcome back Dad; I haven't seen you for quite some while…quite some while indeed._

"Giannine," he asked unsure, "are you alright?"

_Well considering the fact that I almost died, I am sitting next to a sixteen year old who is quite hot, my head is pounding and I have just seen you for the first time in god knows how long…yeah, I'm doing pretty good._

"Fine," I answered in a voice that didn't seem my own, but then again I was probably going crazy.

The man who was by genes my father came over and sat down on the couch next to me, offering his hand to Nigel.

"I am Giannine's father," he said.

Nigel took the hand and the two shook right in front of me.

"You two seem to have a lot to catch up on," Nigel said, sensing the conflict between us. "I'll just wit for your grandmother."

With that, Nigel got up from the couch taking the heat of his thigh with him and left me with my dad. Just before he had left the room, he turned and gave me his Kenric smile. I returned the smile and then looked to my father.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. _What was he doing here?_

He looked nervous while we sat there in silence for a short period of time. I started to twiddle my thumbs and I looked down at my feet.

Finally he spoke, "I came to see if you were alright."

"Why didn't you just have your secretary call?" I lashed back.

_If he thought I was going to let him get away on an easy foot then he had better think again._

He had the slightest cringe, but replied, "She is sick."

I laugh; what else was I supposed to do? "You think you are just all high and mighty coming in here and acting like you care. All you care about is your work and yourself. Do you even know what it is like to not have a father?" I screamed.

This time he looked startled. "Giannine, I'm sorry."

And that is when the tears came on. "You're sorry? You're sorry! After nine years of hating me because I am born, you're sorry?" I yelled.

Just to his luck, at this moment there was a knock on the door. Nigel came in with my grandmother not too far behind.

"What is all this noise?" my grandmother questioned and then noticed my father on the couch next to me. "What are you doing here?"

My father stood up. "I came here to check on Giannine," he told her.

"And where have you been the last nine years?" she accused. "Where were you when she lost her first teeth and graduated from elementary school. Where were you for every birthday this child has had. Not here, let me tell you. You have no right to come in here and talk to my baby girl," My grandmother howled.

_Go grandma._

"Well…I…um…I…err," my father started.

"You err what?" She inquired.

"It's more complicated than that," my father said, regaining his composure.

"Complicated? What is more complicated then living your life with a father like you?" she claimed.

With this, my father was at a loss for words, but my grandmother was far from finished. I kind of felt sorry for the guy.

"What you need to do is to get some therapy instead of realizing how wrong you have been after she almost dies. I am not letting you leave this room until you can explain to this child why you are the way you are. I don't care if it takes a whole week," my grandma shrieked.

"Yes," my father answered obediently.

My grandmother seemed to be finished with my father so she turned to me. "Honey, are you all right?" she asked. Her eyes began to tear up and she came over and pulled me into a hug.

Nigel stood next to the door awkwardly.

"Yes, I am fine grandma," I said as she finally let go of me after about crushing me to death.

"Me and Nigel have some discussion we need to do with the police. I think you deserve some time to figure things out with your father," my grandma said as she smiled through her tears and then left the room.

I turned to my father and decided that I might as well have some manners. "Why didn't you want me?"

_Please don't say something that will make this day worse than it is. I mean I can live with the fact that you don't want me…I think, but just having you here and saying it to my face? Well that is just pure evil and you will probably end up in the underworld._

I sat there as he seemed to consider the question. I noticed how his right eye twitched when he was in thought.

_It kind of cute how he looks all serious…then again he is Mr. Absent for half my life._

I decided I would give a second chance, even if he seemed to not deserve one. I let him think while I sat there and continued to play with my thumbs. Minutes passed and still the silence lingered. I looked back up and noticed him looking at me.

"Because I am a bad person," he choked out and I noticed a small tear form in his eye.

_What kind of answer was that? Not the one I was expecting. _

"And?" I urged him to continue.

He seemed to be looking for the right words to explain the predicament. And then he began to tell an explanation that had been waiting many years to hear. He began, "I was young and foolish at a time and still am. I fell in love with your mother at first sight and decided that she was all I needed in life. She felt the same way and so we naively got married.

"And then you came along. It was fine at first, but as the years pasted, I began to ask myself how I could have married your mother; we were such different people and nothing could change that. We just didn't work together. I was not ready for kids ever and so I soon moved out. Then when you were five, we got divorced and I did not want to have anything to do with your mother so I demanded to know if you were mine.

"When the results came back saying that I was relating to you, I just couldn't bring myself to make an effort. I couldn't bare to meet you because I had never been a large part of your life before and I didn't want to make things change. So I buried myself in my work and only made the minimal contact to you, which were often through other people.

"I am so sorry Giannine. When I heard what had happened to you I knew that I had to come see you; it made me realize that you could have died and I could have never seen you ever again. I guess it was the shove I needed to finally take the bull by the horns and come see you."

_Wow, grab the bull by the horns, really Dad? I guess I should give him a chance. It would be nice to have a parent since both of mine are pretty NONEXISTANT!_

I calmed my breathing, which seemed to have gotten pretty worked up during the whole story. I opened my mouth, but no words came out; it seemed I was a loss for words.

_That doesn't happen often…_

I closed my mouth and tried to gather myself again. Think of Kenric, or rather Nigel, I told myself and was immediately calmed by his soothing smile. I arranged my thoughts so that I didn't seem so scattered.

"Are you telling the truth?" I finally whispered just audible; who knew if he was telling the truth.

"Yes," he answered and seemed to have calmed down a bit as well. "I love you Giannine, so much."

I raised my eyebrow, confused. "What?"

"I know that it will probably startle you, but I am telling the truth Giannine. I am so sorry that I have not been a part of your life. All I am asking for is a second chance."

It seems that at this exact time an imposter spirit possessed me and I went up to my father and hugged him. He hugged me back. We had one of those beautiful moments where two people just stand there hugging each other.

"Your wish is granted," I finally said when we pulled apart.

I swear that his whole face lit up; he looked like the happiest man in the whole world. For once in my life I could say, "This is the best birthday I have ever had," and really mean it.


End file.
